Pope slams ‘horrendous cruelty’ in Bucha and kisses a Ukrainian flag as he meets child refugees

Pope Francis called out the ‘atrocities’ and ‘ever more horrendous cruelties’ by Russian forces in Ukraine as he prayed with child refugees this morning.

The pontiff also kissed a ragged Ukrainian flag brought from Bucha, the Kyiv suburb where war crimes are alleged to have taken place in recent days.

Francis, 85, stood with child refugees at his weekly general audience at the Vatican, handing them chocolate Easter eggs.

Francis kissed a ragged Ukrainian flag brought to the Vatican from Bucha near Kyiv

He held up the flag to the gathered audience and slammed Russia’s targeting of civilians

He said: ‘The recent news about the war in Ukraine, instead of bringing relief and hope, instead attests to new atrocities, such as the Bucha massacre.

‘Ever more horrendous cruelties, also perpetrated against defenceless civilians, women and children. These are victims whose innocent blood cries out to heaven and begs for mercy.’

The pope looked to the children and said: ‘These children had to flee in order to arrive in a safe land. This is the fruit of war. Let’s not forget them and let’s not forget the Ukrainian people.’

Francis also handed out chocolate Easter eggs to Ukrainian refugee families (left)

Francis met with the children during his weekly address, saying they were the ‘fruits of war’

He also lamented the ‘powerlessness’ of international organisations and said ‘the old history of competing great powers’ has continued despite the hope which followed World War Two.

The pope has been careful not to take sides since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, but has in recent days hardened his careful rhetoric. 

He pleaded with Putin in March: ‘In the name of God I ask you, stop this massacre.’ 

Serhii Lahovskyi, 26, mourns his friend Ihor in Bucha after their home was shelled

Tanya Nedashkivs’ka, 57, weeps in the street over the death of her husband at the hands of Russian forces retreating from Kyiv, who came through the city suburb

A civilian mass grave was discovered on the grounds of the City Church of Bucha

Grisly images of what are claimed to be civilian massacres carried out by Russian forces in Bucha before they withdrew have stirred a global outcry in recent days.

Horrifying news out of the Kyiv suburb has prompted Western nations to expel dozens of Moscow’s diplomats and propose further sanctions, including a ban on coal imports from Russia.

President Zelensky has described the targeting of innocent Ukrainians, including women and children, as ‘war crimes’ and ‘genocide’.

Boris Johnson and Joe Biden have repeated these claims. The US president called for a war crimes trial in the wake of the Bucha killings.

Speaking to the UN security council, Zelensky reported civilians were shot in the head after being tortured. 

Some, he said, were crushed to death by tanks while in their cars.  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the UN Security Council via video link

Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia described reports of war crimes as ‘lies’

‘They cut off limbs, cut their throats. Women were raped and killed in front of their children. Their tongues were pulled out only because their aggressor did not hear what they wanted to hear from them,’ he said.

‘Anyone who has given criminal orders and carried them out by killing our people will be brought before the tribunal which should be similar to the Nuremberg tribunals.’ 

Making his first appearance before the UN’s highest body, Zelensky said the Russian troops are no different from other terrorists. 

He showed the council brief video footage of bloody corpses that ended with the words ‘Stop Russian Aggression’.

He stressed that Bucha was only one place and there are more with similar horrors and called for a tribunal similar to the one set up at Nuremberg to try war criminals after the Second World War.